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A review by littlebookterror
Check Your Work by Skye Kilaen
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
We are back in the Knockdown universe with this absolute knockout of a book! (Yes, the puns was mandatory, I am not sorry).
We finally get to meet Oliver more intimately (if you've read the previous books in the series) but no worries, you can totally read this as a standalone if needed (however, it makes you miss all the cool cameos and callbacks). After a bad experience in his past school, he is unwilling to take risk again - even if that means not correcting his coworker about the assumption that he is dating. Lucky for him, Octavia is in a similar bind and proposes they fake date for a month to help each other out.
Jokes on them though because Oliver's crush on her when they first met while he was still a barista is just getting stronger and Octavia is quickly falling for his charm as well.
This has everything you might want in a romance: cute moments, both main characters being badass, and bad people getting their comeuppance.
There is an entire subplot about Oliver's hair colour that I do not want to spoil but it gives so much both in terms of "bisexuals with dyed hair" representation I am always craving and in terms of heartfelt discussion on terms of feeling comfortable in your skin and hiding yourself. I've been dying my hair for years now and the way Oliver talks about it - it resonated with my own experience, especially as a queer person.
It's also worth mentioning that the book does not let any of the usual expectations about m/f couples just stand in the room. There are frank discussions about money and Oliver's discomfort over certain investments, Octavia takes on the more dominant role in the bedroom and the big sex scene is not about PIV sex! Those are all parts that are naturally woven into the story and fit the characters really well.
This is so goddamn good.
I received an advanced reading copy from the author with no obligation of leaving a review.
We finally get to meet Oliver more intimately (if you've read the previous books in the series) but no worries, you can totally read this as a standalone if needed (however, it makes you miss all the cool cameos and callbacks). After a bad experience in his past school, he is unwilling to take risk again - even if that means not correcting his coworker about the assumption that he is dating. Lucky for him, Octavia is in a similar bind and proposes they fake date for a month to help each other out.
Jokes on them though because Oliver's crush on her when they first met while he was still a barista is just getting stronger and Octavia is quickly falling for his charm as well.
This has everything you might want in a romance: cute moments, both main characters being badass, and bad people getting their comeuppance.
There is an entire subplot about Oliver's hair colour that I do not want to spoil but it gives so much both in terms of "bisexuals with dyed hair" representation I am always craving and in terms of heartfelt discussion on terms of feeling comfortable in your skin and hiding yourself. I've been dying my hair for years now and the way Oliver talks about it - it resonated with my own experience, especially as a queer person.
It's also worth mentioning that the book does not let any of the usual expectations about m/f couples just stand in the room. There are frank discussions about money and Oliver's discomfort over certain investments, Octavia takes on the more dominant role in the bedroom and the big sex scene is not about PIV sex! Those are all parts that are naturally woven into the story and fit the characters really well.
This is so goddamn good.
I received an advanced reading copy from the author with no obligation of leaving a review.